Tucker guaranteed himself a 2013-14 roster spot (and an $884,293 payday) after averaging career highs in points (6.4), rebounds (4.4), assists (1.4) and minutes (24.2), while appearing in 79 games, including 45 starts in his first season in Phoenix.

His hard-nosed play and tenacity on defense instantly made him a fan favorite, and he went on to win the Dan Majerle Hustle Award.

Yet despite the success, here he is in Las Vegas, at age 28, the oldest player on the team, competing against guys five and six years younger (or in the case of Archie Goodwin, 10 years younger) than him.

The reason? It's simple.

"Coach is coaching (Summer League)," Tucker said,referring to first-year head coach Jeff Hornacek. "I mean anytime your head coach is coaching, you get a chance to come in this summer, put some work in, get in early. For me, it's a head start, get the season going, get familiar with the system and how they're going to do things."